Shoe



March 27, 1934.

Filed Feb. 1 195s Patented Mar. 27, 1934 umrlsnI STATES PATENT OFFICEClaims.

My invention relates primarily to shoes and has for one of its principalobjects the provision of a shoe having in combination therewithidentiflcation means which will be simple in construc- 5 tion,inexpensive to fabricate, so as to add very little to the cost of theshoe, rugged, water-proof, and, in general, highly satisfactory for thepurposes desired.

One of the principal applications of my invention is in connection withfootball shoes and shoes for other outdoor sports. It is customary inthe conduct of large football squads for the players, after returningfrom a game or from practice, to leave their shoes, which frequentlyhave become caked with mud or dirt and soaked with water andperspiration, to be collected by attendants who are responsible fordrying and cleaning them. After such service and on the occasion ofsubsequent practice, it is difficult for a player to secure the samepair of shoes. y This results in considerable loss of time for theplayers in attempting to find the same or a satisfactory pair of shoes,and a compromise on shoes which t improperly results in discomfort,inconvenience, and lowering of a players efciency.

As a result of my invention, such inconveniences are completelyeliminated and a player may be certain of having the same pairof shoeson each occasion;

Referring now to the drawing forming part of this specification andillustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a football to which my invention hasbeen applied, and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially along the line2-2 of Figure l.

The numeral 10 indicates in general a shoe which in this instance is afootball shoe having a sole 11, a heel 12 and an upper 13.

My improved identification device is indicated generally by the numeral18. This device in its preferred embodiment is attached to the rear ofthe shoe adjacent its upper extremity and consists of a strip 19 ofleather or like material se- 45 cured along three of its sides to theupper of the shoe by rows of stitching 20, 21 and 22, leaving the upperedge free. As seen best in Figure 2, the free upper edge of the strip 19is preferably turned inwardly and reversely upon itself, as indicated at50 23, to form a retaining lip, the stitching 20 and 22 engaging the lip23 so as to hold it in proper retaining position. The strip 19 isprovided with a window or opening 25, which may be circular or ofanyother desired contour.

. It will be seen that the strip 19 forms a pocket shoe 26 which is openat the top. Disposed within this pocket is a tag 28 bearing anidentification indicia, such as a number or the like, which may bewritten, printed, or otherwise placed thereon. The tag 28 is preferablyprotected by means of v60 a strip 29 of transparent and durablematerial, such as celluloid or the like, whereby the number may bereadily visible at all times but cannot be marred or destroyed bymoisture, dirt, etc. It, of course, will be obvious that the protectivestrip 29 may be dispensed with if the tag 28 is formed of sufficientlyrugged and waterproof materia It will be seen that I have provided ashoe having a pocket in a conspicuous place for carrying anidentification tag, the pocket being so designed that the tag cannotreadily be removed even in such rough service as articles of this typeare usually subjected to. However, should it be desired deliberately toremove the identification tag for replacement, change, or for otherpurposes, this can readily be accomplished by inserting a finger withinthe pocket from the top and frictionally engaging the tag.

It has been found that shoes embodying my 30 invention result in a greatsaving of time for players and in greatly increased convenience to them,as well as to their attendants. When the players return from the field,the shoes embodying my invention maybe left on the floor of thelocker-room or in any other convenient place, where they may becollected by the attendants for cleaning and drying. After theseoperations have been completed, it is obviously a simple matter for the,attendants to place each shoe in the proper locker or other convenientplace where they may be found by the player on the next occasionrequiring their use. In this Way, a player may be certain of having thesame pair of shoes throughout the season.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a shoe, a strip of material so secured thereto asto form a pocket open at one edge, said strip having a sight openingtherein, and the free edge thereof being turned inwardly to formV aprotective lip for retaining the contents of said pocket, and anidentication tag disposed within said pocket and visible through saidopening.

2. The combination as defined in claim l, wherein said pocket isdisposed on the upper rear portion of said shoe.

3. In a combination as defined in claim 1, a strip of substantiallytransparent protective ma.- terial disposed between said tag and saidstrip.

a retaining lip, and an identication tag disposed within said pocket`and visible through said opening.

5. In a combination as defined in claim 4, a strip of substantiallytransparent protective material disposed between said tag and saidstrip.

ARTHUR BERG.

